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Ronnel

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Posts posted by Ronnel

  1. Ronnel watched as the duo disappeared down one of the city streets and hummed slightly. A second time round, this time the parting felt more.. Satisfying? Like he had actually done something and accomplished something, not like last time when he had gotten lost and been utterly useless.. 

    His eyes flicked to Mari as she spoke and he rubbed the back of his head with one hand, wincing when he felt his fingers get tangled on the pigtails that Chloe had braided into his hair. He grumbled and started undoing them as he gave a light shrug. 

    "For now at least. You've probably had your fill of my scrubby self by now and I ain't the kind to impose overmuch." He gave up fixing his hair for now - he'd need a mirror to see it and get it done properly. "But don't hesitate to drop me a message if you need something or just want to chat. It's a standing offer and I won't judge." He didn't really think Mari would actually take him up on the offer - but he was honest about it. And if she did, that would be great. 

    "Thanks for having me along Mari. Stay safe." He gave her a quirked smile and started to make his way to the inn he was currently staying in. 

  2. Ronnel hummed for a moment softly, and gave her a slow nod. "Parents can be role models." He pitched his voice loud enough for Chloe to blink and pause in her activity, as she listened. "You want to try to be like them, try to impress them because you know they love you." Then he bounced his shoulders making the girl giggle, and shook his head, flipping his hair against her until she was distracted. Then his gaze turned to Mari and he spoke softer. 

    "And sometimes, they're a role model of what you don't want to be like. For what it's worth - if what happened has affected you this much, it's pretty apparent you loved her. And I'm sure it is, was, reciprocated. Wait." Ronnel blinked as he felt a tugging on his scalp. 

    "Chloe, what are you doing?" His answer was a giggle and silence. He turned his dark eyes towards Mari. "Mari, what is she doing? Mari?" 

  3.  

    "And she'll be happy to hear all about it from you." Ronnel lifted the girl up and settled her onto his shoulders. Her tiny hands curled up into his hair and she began humming happily to herself as the trio made their way through the tunnels of the cave. The man relaxed infinitesimally once she was secure and then followed after Mari. 

     

    When she spoke, his eyes flicked to her for a moment. Thankfully it seemed like the woman was quiet enough that the girl humming above him didn't notice, and he gave a slow nod, chewing on his lip for a moment as he considered how to respond. It was a heavy thing - but the mission was dear to him too. 

    "I stumbled across it the first time before I even really knew what it was." His voice was soft. "If I'd known then, I probably would have done the same and avoided it. But -" He bit his lip before pressing on. "Kind of the inverse. Growing up, my parents were pretty distant. So caring parents.." Were hard for him to see, to be near. It made something inside ache in a way that never really stopped. He shook his head, drawing a whine from the girl on his shoulders until she resumed humming and fiddling with his hair. 

    "But family is important. I can't turn away from that."  There was absolutely no way he would be like his parents had been. Discarding a child as soon as it was convenient. 

     

     

  4. Ronnel spun Varathra over in his hands before dropping the spear unto his inventory, clapping his hands together as Mari knelt next to Chloe. This had gone well - thankfully Mari had been able to finish the bat off before it had gotten an attack in, since the man didn't want to see the girl cry because both of them had been hurt. As things were - 

     

    "Yep. Old man bats are no match for Mari or the.. Puppy Shield." He finished with a slightly tight smile before tilting his head in acknowledgement to Mari. The orange player still didn't seem too sure of him or was just uncomfortable with speaking, either way he wasn't going to press the matter. 

     

    "Now, Chloe, how about we leave this smelly old cave? I know your mom is waiting for you." A slight pang hit his chest - he doubted his own mother cared that he'd been trapped in this death game for two years. But he kept that pain bottled up, not about to dump it on an NPC child or Mari, who he barely knew. 

    @Mari

  5. Ronnel felt the girl's body tremble when the bat's appeared - right. These bat's had been keeping the girl captive for however long, of course she'd be scared of them. But as the first one burst into data, she started to relax, trusting in Mari. That relief vanished when the second bat struck, sinking its teeth into Mari's forearm before shooting backwards, flapping its wings as it moved away. 

     

    His eyes tracked the beast as it pulled away from Mari, towards the two of them. He knew Mari was tougher than he was, had more health and armor - but even so he did not like seeing others get hurt. The only thing that kept him from leaping into the fight as soon as the second bat had appeared at the same time was his duty to protect Chloe. He shifted slightly, tensing up on his leg as the bat drew closer to them. 

     

    Ronnel felt another tremor roll through him as Chloe clutched at the back of his shirt and he narrowed his eyes. A gust of wind from the wings swept over them and the girl let out a shriek. 

     

    "Protect me Puppy Shield!" Her voice was high pitched, a shriek of fear. She drew away from him, and over his shoulder he could see the little girl curling in on herself in fright. His face set. His knuckles turned white on Varathra. A heartbeat, a breathe in - and then he burst into motion. 

     

    His armor glittered in the faint light of the cave as he darted into place firmly between the bat and the child. The twin-bladed spear swept up - he didn't use a Sword Art here - he wasn't the slayer. He was the shield. But even so - fury drove his muscles, as he thought of a little girl he missed dearly hiding behind him instead. The bat let out a loud shrieking cry of pain as it flew forwards, its body quivering in agony as a large wound opened up on it. 

     

    "You will not touch her." Ronnel spat out as he set himself between bat and child. Dark wings beat the air as the beast reoriented itself, focusing on the spear-wielder. 


     

     

     

     

     

    Ronnel: 

    HP: 180/180 EN: 17/18

    DAM: 5 MIT: 26 ACC 1 

    Varathra:: DAM, ACC, Bleed 

     

     

    Giant Bat 2: HP 50/50

     

     

    ID# 136856 results:

     

     Battle: 10 (Crit Hit!) 

    Dam: 5 x 2  = 10!

    Bleed Proc: 12 dam next turn cycle

    Hate:+ 2 (Critical hit) 

     

    Giant Bat 2: HP: 40/50, Bleed (Takes 12 Damage next turn cycle on Ronnel's turn) 

    HATE Target: Ronnel

     

     

  6. "Do I need to get a tag that says 'not a dog or something?" Ronnel murmured to himself and shook his head with a laugh. There was something odd about Mari' s behavior, almost hesitant at times but yet… almost motherly. He rubbed his chest for a moment before kneeling down and smiling brightly at the little girl. 

    "Come on over here Chloe - Mari needs her hands free so she can help keep you safe and stop the bad things, alright?" 

    "Why can't you do it and let me stay with Mari?" From the corner of his eye he saw Mari flinch again, just a little. Instead he laughed and tapped his chest. 

    "Well, it's because I'm a big strong shield, right? Do you attack with shields?" Chloe paused for a moment her brow furrowing before she shook her head. 

    "Nuh uh, that'd be silly!" 

    "Exactly!" Slowly, the girl peeled herself away from Mari, reluctantly, before trotting over to where Ronnel was kneeling. He took one of her hands and placed it on his head, and she giggled as she rubbed his hair. 

    "He is like a dog Miss Mari!" The girl beamed bright and cheery at Mari, as Ronnel hid an exasperated look from the child. 

     

     

  7. Ronnel took in a slow breath and let it out, rocking his neck from side to side to crack it. He wasn't looking forward to going back into the cave to fight yet more bats - but he also was not about to turn his back on the lost child, or on Mari asking for his help whatever her reason might have been. He stilled when he heard the echoes of a cry coming through the cave system, and he bit back a curse before pressing onwards. Cordelia's blunt, uncaring demeanor had kept him off balance last time, on top of the fact that he barely knew what he was doing out here. He started moving swifter, his pace picking up as he delved into the depths of the dark cave.

    "It's also a bit silly but - this is a mission, one of the few I've seen, oriented on a family, reuniting them. It...resonates." He finally said, his voice cutting through the dark silence around them. The red-eyed man had noticed that there was something slightly off about Mari's demeanor right now, and he was trying to prompt it out of her without directly asking her. That seemed like a good way to antagonize her. So instead he would try to coax a conversation out of her. "Family is important." His eyes tried to pierce the gloom, searching - the bats would come first, guarding their captive. 

  8. "Oh, goodness, Dracul, these are fine work." Ronnel rolled the Arx vial back and forth in his hands, the liquid sloshing inside as he stared at it in thought. this was - almost frustrating him, since he had yet to begin any kind of crafting. He slipped them into his inventory, then snapped his fingers. "Right, I doubt its very much for you, but aside from my company I don't have much to offer yet." That needed to change, but for now - well. All he could do was send him materials to compensate for the things he had crafted. His fingers flicked through menus and initiated the trade, before picking up the mug that Claudia had given him. 

    "So!" The dark-haired man leaned back and grinned at Claudia, thanking her for the drink and sipping at it slowly. "I suppose I haven't had much cause to actually directly interact with the standard denizens." It hadn't been that long ago that he had been almost entirely keeping to himself, so maybe he just needed to see what the NPCs had developed into over the past two years. 

    @Dracul

    @Geminorum

  9. Thread Summary:

    Quest Summary:

    SP Reward:  3SP

    Item Reward: <<The Matriarch's Stinger>> This incredibly potent venom can be applied to a weapon to provide an additional +1 damage for the duration of one battle. (Awarded to each player; this is treated functionally identical to an uncommon damage potion)

    Page Summary: (22 Posts, 2 Pages (2nd Page incomplete)

    SP Reward: 1 SP Per Person

    COL: 400 col (Split 3 ways, 133 col)

    Thread Totals:

    SP: 4 SP

    COL: 133

    ITEM: <<The Matriarch's Stinger>> This incredibly potent venom can be applied to a weapon to provide an additional +1 damage for the duration of one battle. (Awarded to each player; this is treated functionally identical to an uncommon damage potion)

  10. "They did tout that the game would be just as immersive as real life as time went on - things learning in fights makes sense. We got this though." Ronnel encouraged  @Dracul as the sword flashed through empty air. It did clue the spear-wielder in though that the wasp queen might start reading and predicting their attacks if they didn't change things up. But that was the advantage this kind of game offered them - he wasn't limited to selecting the same attack over and over again on a menu screen - he was as free to attack as he might have been in real life. 

    A flicker and soft light ran across the dark haired man, and he felt an odd sense of relief as the damage dealt was soothed away. He flashed a cheery grin at @Solei. "Could always think about being a Paladin type kid, with a Lay On Hands ability." Ronnel chuckled, mostly to himself, as he turned his attention back to the monster. He popped his neck and dropped his spear low, Varathra's blades gleaming as he triggered a Sword Art.The Wasp Queen darted in, shrieking through the air, and his weapon swung up, slicing into the digital monster's flesh. It careened off to one side, rallying itself to come back - before a gout of blood shot down from the first wound. The beast hung in the air for a moment then shattered apart into a flurry of red data.

    "Excellent!"

     

     

    Ronnel:

    HP: 180/180 EN: 18/18

    Weapon: Varathra (+1 Acc, +1 Dam, +1 Bleed)

    Armor: Tem Armor: (+1 MIT (+9), +2 Heavy Momentum)

    Armor 2: Pup's Greaves (+1Mit (+9)

    Acc: 1

    Mit: 26 

    DAM: 5

     

    Queen Wasp:

    HP: 12/50 DAM: 20

     

    Link ID: 134913

    BD: 5 (+1 Acc HIT)

    DAM: 10 (x 2 HEFT)

    BLEED: 12 (One round remaining) 

    EN: 17/18 (-1 Basic Attack, + 1)

    Queen Bee: 2/50

    BLEED PROC HITS FOR 12 DAM

    +1 Hate Ronnel

    QUEEN BEE DEAD

     

  11. Ronnel was straightening up from the impact recovery when a blue blade flashed up in a Sword Art, slicing into the Wasp Queen and sending it reeling backwards. Good - build a tempo and keep it up, and try to keep the thing's focus on the two of them, not on the softer people behind them. He didn't want to find out what those claws or that jagged stinger would do to Claudia or Solei.

    The creature shrieked and Ronnel spun his spear around, bringing it back to bear. He braced one foot back and thrust upwards, the twin blades lancing forward in a stab that bit into the carapace of the Wasp again. As he landed the blow, a gush of blood washed down from the wasp queen as the bleed proc ticked over.

    "Thanks for the assist!" Ronnel called out as a soft light washed over him, and his HP counter ticked back upwards. It wasn't much but it was something - and it would be good practice for the boy if he wanted to be a healer in the future. Ronnel bit back a curse as the Wasp Queen let out another shriek and lashed out. The serrated claw rang out against the metal of Ronnel's armor, knocking him back a pair of steps.

    "Where's the Raid when you need it?" He laughed as he called out to the others. 

     

     

    Ronnel:

    HP: 180/180 EN: 18/18

    Weapon: Varathra (+1 Acc, +1 Dam, +1 Bleed)

    Armor: Tem Armor: (+1 MIT (+9), +2 Heavy Momentum)

    Armor 2: Pup's Greaves (+1Mit (+9)

    Acc: 1

    Mit: 26 

    DAM: 5

     

    Queen Wasp:

    HP: 29/50 DAM: 20

     

    Link ID: 134694

    BD: 7 (+1 Acc)

    DAM: 5 

    BLEED: 12 (One round remaining) 

    EN: 17/18 (-1 Basic Attack, + 1)

    Queen Bee: 12/50

    BLEED PROC HITS FOR 12 DAM

    +1 Hate Ronnel

     

    MD: 6

    Hate target: Ronnel () 

    DAM: 20 VS 26 MIT = 1 DAM TOTAL

    Ronnel HP: 179/180

     

     

  12. "I would be delighted to have a hot cocoa, Darius, thank you." Ronnel blinked and kept one eye on the new arrival as he leaned against the table. It seemed he was rowdy - or at least more than the others in the room were. Ronnel knew he wouldn't have been that casual around people he just yet, especially when the others were at least somewhat formal. 

    "I go by the handle Ronnel here, @Geminorum, nice to meet you." Ronnel inclined his head to the new boy before focusing his gaze onto @Draculagain. He had forgotten to bring a greeting gift - if his parents knew they would have been mortified with him. Or, furious, depending on their mood. Either way, despite that oversight, it was pleasant to hear Dracul call it a friendly gathering. 

    "Thankfully the mood in here, or at least the celebration, doesn't match out there. I felt out of place around the NPCs, celebrating a different holiday than I would even if it's at the same time frame." He chuckled and leaned back in his chair. "Though I suppose most of the celebrations around this time of year in games are about friends and sharing, right?" 

     

     

  13. Skills

    2H Assault Spear:

    Rank: Journeyman (2)

    SP13

    Effect: +4 Damage, Rank 1/2 2HAS Sword Arts

    Sword Arts:

    Rank 1: 

     

    • [x1 AoE] Sonic Charge (1 Energy +2 per target hit) - A forward thrust which explodes energy at the end of the move.
    • [x2 Stun] Twin Thrust (5 Energy) - A pair of quick thrusts aimed at the user's knees to immobilize them.
    • [x2] Heft (2 Energy) - Lift the heavy end of the spear diagonally across your opponent from the ground, cutting their torso with the tip.

    Rank 2:

    • [x3] Fatal Thrust (3 Energy) - A single powerful thrust.
    • [x4 AoE] Hellish Twice (4 Energy +2 per target hit) - A pair of alternating sweeping motions which damages multiple targets.
    • [x4] Mighty Charge (4 Energy) - Charge your opponent fiercely and impale them with your spearhead. Your opponent is then lifted up before being slammed into the ground from the momentum of your maneuver.

     

     

    Heavy Armor:

    Rank: Novice (1)

    SP5

    Effect: +8 Mitigation 

     

    Searching:

    Rank: Novice (1)

    SP5

    Effect: +1 LD, +1 Stealth Detection

     

    Gatherer:

    SP10

    Effect: Gives bonus materials on a successful out of combat search based on natural CD result

     

    • CD 1: No bonus materials
    • CD 2-5: 1 bonus material
    • CD 6-9: 2 bonus materials
    • CD 10-12: 3 bonus materials
  14. “This is fine work, Hannah.” As soon as Ronnel had taken it, his quest had completed. He blinked, as he hadn’t quite been expecting that accepting the gem would finish the quest without him actually pressing anything. Ah, well. He turned his attention back to the NPC since she hadn’t headed back inside after giving him the trinket. 
    “You, ah, seem to be pretty skilled.” Ronnel blinked - there was another part to this quest? After it had set him against one ‘boss’ mob, there was something else? That… seemed interesting. “Could you deliver a package to a friend of mine, named Old Pete. He’s out on a nearby lake” Ronnel hummed in thought, wondering what profession the old man would have. Every other stage in this had him talking with someone from a specific profession - what would this ‘Pete’s’ be? 
    “I can, yes.” Hannah clapped her hands together happily, and reached back inside to pull something from a shelf near her door. She handed the small, cloth wrapped bundle to the player with a smile. 
    “Here you go! He’s expecting it somewhat soon, thank you ever so much!” Ronnel chuckled and pushed the bundle into his inventory. With a wave to the young woman, he departed, making his way back through the path through the grove. 
     

  15. Ronnel was just finishing deciding to put more of his points into his spear skill, bringing it up to the next rank once he finished this quest, when he heard the door of Hannah’s hut swing back open. He scrambled up to his feet, brushing the dirt and leaves from his pants as he walked back over to where she was standing with a smile on her lips. The alchemist held up her hand, and let Ronnel see the small, gleaming band in her hand. 
    “Here you are, traveller! One ring that will benefit your accuracy. Hope it helps you take down the creatures that threaten you and yours as you make your way along.” Ronnel gently took the ring and looked at it. The small green crystal he had obtained from the cave was nestled into the band from Lyle, smoothed out and faceted slightly. Four thin spires of gold crept out of the band and wrapped around it, looking almost like a little crosshair. 
     

  16. “Excellent! Well, give me a little bit to work on this then, good sir.” She smiled at him and then backed up into her hut, closing the door behind her. Well - this wasn’t going to be like with Zackariah then, where he was able to help in the crafting process. That was fine - he had a feeling that if he tried helping with working on the gem, he might end up cracking or chipping it somehow, and ruining it. Well - now he had a little time to kill while the NPC went through the crafting process. 
    Ronnel wandered over to the tree that Hannah had been sitting against when he first showed up, and plopped himself down against it. He leaned back onto the tree, and ran the fingers of one hand through his hair as he looked upwards into the leaves. Hopefully the crafting process didn’t take Hannah very long - he hadn’t brought anything to really… Ronnel chuckled and pulled up his menus. If nothing else, he could look at what he had available and try to think about what he wanted to specialize in moving forward.
     

  17. Hannah’s eyes twinkled as she winked at Ronnel. “How about it, traveller?” He blinked at her and tilted his head to one side. “Well, you brought me all the materials to make a piece of jewelry. So I figure - why not allow you to be the one to profit from it? Or at least - well, I’ll get some useful practice in, and you’ll get a new piece of equipment to go along with you as a memento.” Ronnel scratched his cheek. This must be the system’s way of prompting him to choose a quest reward from finishing this part of the chain. 

    “Well - I do prefer actually hitting my targets when I’m fighting them.” Memories of constantly missing the blasted boar pups and getting infuriated with them flashed in his mind and he grunted. “Yes - definitely, I dislike missing. So, uh, accuracy I suppose is what I’d prefer?” Hannah gave him a bright nod.

  18. “What exactly is it that your trinkets and alchemy can do, Miss Hannah? I’ve not really spoken with an alchemist before.” The woman blinked at Ronnel as he asked the question, then adjusted her glasses with the hand that wasn’t holding the gemstone. 
    “Well - depending on what resources we have available and how skilled we are, we’re able to make jewelry, potions, or powerful crystals. Things like accuracy or evasion buffs, or if we’re talking the crystals, well, that’s where the teleport crystals that you travelers are so fond of come from.” He blinked once. That sounded like a useful talent to have - perhaps something that he’d be looking into in the future, if he didn’t meet a player that could use it that he could purchase from. She held up the small gem in her fingers as she grinned at Ronnel.
    “This, for example, I can use to create a ring that will boost accuracy or evasion perhaps.” 
     

  19. Ronnel pulled the small gemstone out of his inventory, the green crystal glinting softly in the fading sunlight that was coming through the trees of the grove. Hannah paused for a moment and then reached out a hand for it, palm up. The red-eyed man tilted his hand, letting the stone fall down into the outstretched palm. The alchemist took the small crystal and held it up, peering into it and rotating it back and forth slowly. Her lips curved into a smile as she lowered it back down, her gaze focusing on Ronnel. 
    “This is going to do wonderfully. I’ll be able to use this gem to make a lovely trinket for someone to use with the golden band you brought me from Lyle.” Ah, right - that had been the purpose of the ring that he’d ferried over from the blacksmith, for her to make a new trinket. While in the cave he’d actually forgotten about that. 
     

  20. Ronnel walked up to the small little hut and lifted one hand, rapping on the wooden door. There was a pause, and he wondered if she actually was out somewhere else and he would need to return. Then just before he gave up and walked away, he heard rustling and footsteps approaching the door from inside. He took a single step back from the hut and started reaching into his inventory as the door swung open. 
    Hannah blinked once, then twice, and adjusted her glasses on the edge of her nose. She was befuddled for a moment, then her eyes lit up. “Ah, traveller! You’re back much sooner than I expected - I hope you bring good news?” She rubbed her hands together as she looked up at Ronnel, who chuckled and nodded. 
    “I do indeed. The Guardian didn’t slow me down very much at all.” Aside from its high burst attack, the bat he’d fought before finding the gem was actually more dangerous. 
     

  21. Shaking off that wonderfully stupid mistake, and grumbling to himself that he really needed to actually check the quest rewards when he got the, Ronnel resumed his trek through the city streets in the direction of Hannah's Grove. The streets of the Town were becoming more familiar to him as he actually walked through them with purpose instead of aimlessly wandering. There wasn’t going to be any asking NPC guards for where to go this time around for him. 
    Soon enough the tall trees of the grove came into view as the sun began to sink over the edge of the horizon. The shadows stretched out as he wound his way through the woods, following the small path that led inwards. Soon enough he reached the clearing where Hannah had been before, though this time she wasn’t outside from what he could see. Ronnel hummed and looked around before shrugging - he would knock on the door for the small hut that was there, and if she wasn’t in he would just have to come back later.
     

  22. "Alright - now then, time to get back to Hannah's and give her this thing." Ronnel murmured to himself as he started making his way through the city streets, pulling open his inventory screen as he went. His fingers flicked through the relatively sparse collection of items, verifying the presence of the gem that he needed. Every fiber of his being stilled when he saw the quest rewards from finishing the blacksmith's 'lesson', and he ground his teeth together in frustration. 
    A nice, simple, shiny Potion of Safeguard. In the description, it mentioned only being useful for one thing - for one quest. For fighting the Cave Guardian. This was supposed to have prevented that heavy blow he took, and like a buffoon he hadn't even looked at it ahead of time! He groaned and rubbed the heel of one hand against an eye, cursing himself under his breath. "I really am as stupid as she was thinking, aren't I?" The dark haired man grumbled as his shoulders slumped. 
     

  23. The walls of the city came into view as Ronnel followed the winding trail through the grassy fields. The transition from woods to plains had been smooth, and the red-eyed man was becoming somewhat accustomed to it enough that he had barely noticed. That was a good sign he felt - no longer was he only familiar with the closed in streets of the Town of Beginning. But he knew he couldn't let himself get complacent, if he did that he'd just end up stagnating and end up right back where he started. 

    Ronnel slowly trod down the path in through the city gates, waving to the gate guards as he did. Their eyes automatically flicked up then down, a visual representation of the AI checking his status. He knew the wave was pointless - hell he was sure some other players would laugh at him for it - but he couldn't help it. With every passing day that they were stuck in here, he was coming to accept the fact that this was their home - why be rude when it could be avoided? 

  24. Leaves crunched beneath Ronnel's boots as he made his way back through the forest. It felt good to be able to stretch himself out as he walked and not worry about hitting his head on any outcropping of rock. Though he did have to duck once or twice to avoid a low hanging tree branch. Still, this part of his trip was far more pleasant than anything underground had been - no bat's were attacking him now. 

    A soft breeze rolled around him, ruffling his clothes and making the man shiver slightly. He knew that it was entirely in his head, but he couldn't deny the feeling of a light chill that accompanied the wind. If it wasn't for the fact that they were all trapped in this death game Ronnel would have been impressed with the level of detail. As it was - well he wasn't the biggest fan of this simulated world, and he didn't know many who were.

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